Watch Max Landis Talk about His Abandoned Pitch for a Cute, Sweet ‘Pokemon’ Movie
“It’s like ‘Harry Potter’ and ‘Rocky.'”
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In the midst of “Pokemon Go” madness as it descends upon San Diego Comic-Con, a curious story about a Pokemon movie that might have been has risen up through a sea of lures and incense. No, it’s not Oliver Stone’s vision of the Nintendo characters-based video game as “a new level of invasion” that could lead to totalitarianism, it’s actually a cute and sweet version of the Pokemon story envisioned by Max Landis.
Now “cute” and “sweet” might not be the first thing you think of when you hear the name Max Landis, but the screenwriter/producer/director defends both his filmography and his Pokemon pitch quite well during an interview with our own Steve Weintraub during Comic-Con. Landis was there in support of his new series Dirk Gently, a re-imagining of Douglas Adams’ series of novels about a holistic detective investigating supernatural crimes. But despite Landis’ interest in supernatural detective stories, he’s got no time for Detective Pikachu.
Watch Steve’s interview with Landis from Comic-Con below:
In case you missed Landis’ reference to Detective Pikachu, it’s a relatively new iteration of Pokemon’s mascot that was introduced earlier this year in a Japanese video game, “Great Detective Pikachu.” As you might have guessed, the character assists the player (and vice versa) in solving a number of crimes and mysteries; Detective Pikachu will serve as the basis of Legendary and The Pokemon Company’s new live-action film franchise, for better or worse. Landis seems to think that it’ll be the latter.
And I can’t help but agree with him. I was a little disappointed to hear that the new live-action movie wouldn’t be centering on a young trainer out to prove themselves in the world of Pokemon, or at least some sort of interesting pitch related to the current Pokemon Go craze. There’s still every chance in the world that Detective Pikachu will be an entertaining and successful movie in its own right, but I would have liked to have at least seen a little more from Landis’ pitch. Maybe the strength of his Poke pitch will help him to land another nostalgia-steeped property primed for adaptation, because I’m sure he has other ideas in mind.
Which version of a live-action Pokemon movie do you want to see: Detective Pikachu, Landis’ pitch about up-and-coming trainers and retired Gravelers, or something else entirely? Perhaps you’re not excited about this prospect in the least? Let us know in the comments below!
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